His Eminence Edwin F. Cardinal O’Brien

In 1996, Msgr. Edwin F. O’Brien was named Auxiliary Bishop of New York and then, the following year, Archbishop for the Military Services. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Baltimore, our nation’s oldest diocese, where he focused on the promotion of vocations and Catholic education, fostering a culture of respect for the dignity of every person, and helping Catholics renew and strengthen the bonds of their faith.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop O’Brien the Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (Knights of the Holy Sepulchre) and the following year he was named to the College of Cardinals.

Edwin Frederick O’Brien was born April 8, 1939 in the Bronx, New York, and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York in 1965. His first assignment was as a chaplain at West Point. He would later be commissioned to become a military chaplain, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. He served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and then the 1st Cavalry Brigade.

After he left the military, he began his doctoral studies in Rome. He returned to the Archdiocese of New York, serving as vice-chancellor and associate pastor at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He served as rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, in New York and then rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome.